Men's Basketball

Golden Eagles add 6-7 forward Dennis Ogbe from Germany

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech men’s
basketball roster will feature an international flair next fall
with the recent signing of Dennis Ogbe, a 6-foot-7 forward from
Southern Germany.

Ogbe’s addition will give the Golden Eagles six new faces
on the floor in 2010-2011, including signees Javon McKay and
Mitchell Hill, transfer Matt Marseille, and redshirts Chase Dunn
and Zac Swansey.

“All of our incoming players are outstanding academically
and are young men of high character who bring additional skill,
athleticism, competitiveness and winning attitudes with
them,” said Golden Eagle head coach Mike Sutton. “I am
extremely excited about this class.”

Ogbe hails from Munich in Southern Bavaria, Germany’s
third-largest city. The son of Festus Ogbe and Margitta Linke,
Dennis plans to enroll in electrical engineering. Since 2007, he
has attended school and played basketball in Nürnberg, a city
of 500,000 located in northern Bavaria.

“I'm really excited about this opportunity,” Ogbe
said. “This will be a whole new situation for me. New people,
a new living situation, a different game than in Europe. I like
handling new situations and I'm really looking forward to a fresh
start.”

Sutton appreciates the combination of versatility and toughness
that Ogbe exhibits.

“Dennis will give us a skilled, athletic forward who can
guard three positions and is a threat offensively both inside and
outside,” Sutton said. “He has inside/outside skills
and can play multiple positions. He has toughness and a great work
ethic. He is also known for his willingness to defend and
make ‘effort’ plays by doing the dirty work and making
the ‘blue collar’ type plays needed on the
court.”

Ogbe’s own analysis of his contributions to the team are
similar to Sutton’s.

“I try to do everything that is needed for the team to
win, whether it's rebounding or scoring points, picking up the pace
or slowing things down,” Ogbe said. “Apart from that,
I'm more of a finisher than a playmaker. My best assets are that I
always try to give 100 percent and that I don't give up until the
game's over.”

Ogbe began his basketball career in the second grade of
elementary school with the youth team of sports club TSV
Unterhaching, a small town near Munich. He played there until 2007
when he joined the basketball club "Franken Hexer" in Nuernberg.

“We found Dennis through contacts in Europe and starting
talking with him after watching video of him play,” Sutton
said. “He was playing against professionals and he was
impressive in an All-Star Game in Germany which would be a little
like our McDonald’s High School All-Star game.

He averaged 18 points, eight rebounds and two steals per game in
the NBBL and was selected to play in the all-star game, scoring 13
points in that spotlight event. In his NBBL Final Four contest,
Ogbe chipped in with 23 points and nine rebounds.

“He also played in the NBBL Final Four event that features
the top four teams that have high school aged players.
Assistant coach Steve Payne and I were impressed watching his
abilities against professionals on film, and we were extremely
impressed once we got him on the telephone. After talking to
various contacts in Germany, Europe and the United States, we were
really impressed with the positive feedback about Dennis and his
game.”

Sutton said Ogbe is a good fit for the way the Golden Eagle
play.

“His versatility is huge for us and fits quite well with
our style and system as he has size and skill to go with his
ability to play multiple positions,” Sutton said. “Like
a lot of our players, he is not button-holed into a single spot so
we can get as many well-rounded players on the court as
possible.”

Being an international student brought about a few extra
wrinkles for Sutton, his staff, and Tech’s Office of
International Student Affairs, according to the head coach.

“International students have some different regulations
because of visas, I 20s and additional paperwork that has to be
completed per Tech and NCAA guidelines,” Sutton said.
“Our Director for International Students Affairs, Charles
Wilkerson, and his assistant Brenda Gentry have been very helpful
with assisting with the necessary forms. We have many
international students and several athletes here and their office
assists them in the process.

“Dennis is an outstanding student and will probably earn
some college credit for his previous academic performance and may
receive possible credits for his fluency in German. His
English is excellent and he has an interest in an Engineering
degree among some other potential fields of study.”

Sutton feels the latest Golden Eagle signee will be a perfect
addition to his roster as he enters his eighth season as
Tech’s head coach.

“I am really looking forward to having Dennis in the
program as his experience, skill and toughness will allow him to
compete with our returnees for a spot,” Sutton said. “I
admire his willingness to leave his home and family to come to a
foreign country to enhance his academic and athletic opportunities.
I know that Tech fans will really embrace him once they see the
type of player he is and more importantly, the type of young man
that he is.